Swing III 24" x 24"

See more art from the 2025 New Works Swing III, the third entry in James Nowak’s Swing series from the 2025 New Works Collection, extends the artist’s investigation into rhythm, gesture, and improvisation. While Swing I introduced buoyant spontaneity and Swing II emphasized syncopated precision, Swing III synthesizes these qualities, presenting a composition that is simultaneously playful and measured. The painting affirms Nowak’s ability to treat abstraction as both visual rhythm and musical analogy, crafting variations that echo the phrasing of a jazz suite. The canvas is marked by a cool blue ground, consistent with the series, onto which Nowak arranges a carefully balanced set of gestures. Thick black arcs dominate, bending like musical phrases across space. They interact with bright yellow sweeps and vivid red ovals, each placed with a sense of timing rather than density. Unlike the spareness of Swing II, this composition feels more expansive—gestures spread across the field, sug